Lasik

[chabella]

Has anyone here had this? I am really thinking about it as I am tired of toting around (or losing) my glasses. I barely need them. Only one eye has an issue and it is fairly minor. How expensive is Lasik?

 

[SoftRain]

Last I knew it was around $4500 for both eyes but that was years ago and I believe prices have dropped since then. I'm considering getting it done myself.

 

[Lilly]

You can get Lasik done for around $2000 an eye now, and many doctors will work with you on a payment plan. I would love to have it done, but right now I don't even have insurance.

 

[Luvkenny]

I will never get it done! I don't mind wearing glasses. There is no way that I am taking a chance with my eyesight. I would rather wear glasses forever than chance going blind from an unnecessary surgery.

 

[StarGazer]

I looked into Lasik surgery but I'm not a candidate due to how severe my vision problems are. I doubt that I would get it even if I could, though. You don't hear about the failures but they're out there and it's scary how bad it can go.

 

[SoftRain]

That is probably why some doctors recommend only doing one eye at a time. If something goes wrong, you still have one safe eye. On the other hand, I don’t think I could get up the nerve to undergo Lasik more than once, so if I do it, I’d likely do both eyes and hope for the best.

 

[Aconite]

Well, around my city, we have one guy who does it for $500 an eye. He's part of a big medical group that's done over 1,000 procedures though. Years ago, I had a boss who did it, and he was back to wearing glasses after paying $5000 and I don't think he got his money back. There is a risk with everything, so just weigh the pros and the cons.

 

[chabella]

I have actually had eye surgery before and compared to what I had back in the 80s this should be a cake walk. I am going to check on prices and insurance this week to see how my insurance covers it. I am not sure if I want to spend a few grand when I have already done the same (this year) on dental work.

 

[herbalnut]

Lasik is a great alternative to glasses. When considering the cost of it, I don't think it's expensive at all. Think of all of the money that you spend on buying a new pair of prescription glasses, which can be several hundred dollars depending on your need. Over years and years the glasses will end up costing more than that procedure.

 

[chabella]

The cost is not really a problem for me with prescription glasses as it is when it comes to the select few that my insurance will cover. I have never fully understood that. The last time I headed to get a new pair I had 9 to pick from (this includes glasses for women and men).

 

[Aconite]

Don't get me started on the whole eyeglasses conspiracy! Actually, if you look it up, there's one company who owns most of the eyeglass brands. I believe it's called Luxotica. Here's a nice piece that 60 minutes did about it.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7424700n

 

[SoftRain]

Well that's just it. Lasik is a big upfront cost but assuming it works well, it should save you some money in the long run. I'm not really looking into it for money reasons though; I'm just sick of the hassle of glasses and contacts.

 

[Aconite]

If it works for you, then I say it's great! If not, I think the doctor should have a clause in the contract to give you your money back. Of course, I bet if you ask the doctor for this conditional clause, he'll laugh at you.